|
|
|
Wednesday, April 09, 2009 - 10.09 GMT |
|
Let Tamil civilians decide for themselves –
Key UN officer uffering. tells LTTE |
|
|
|
“Civilians trapped by the fighting must be
allowed a free choice of whether to leave or
stay, as we have made clear to the LTTE. If
the LTTE truly has the best interests of the
Tamil people at heart, they should
contribute to ending this unnecessary
civilian s
“The LTTE's leadership claims the civilians
in the conflict zone do not want to leave
because they accompanied the LTTE
voluntarily in the first place and are
afraid of government reprisals. Yet there
are continuing reports that the group's
fighters are shooting at fleeing civilians,
limiting fishing and sabotaging boats that
might be used to escape, and forcing people
to fight against their will,” says Sir John
Holmes is UN under-secretary general for
humanitarian affairs and emergency relief
coordinator, writing to The Guardian UK of
April 08, 2009.
He adds that: “There have been many hundreds
of civilian deaths caused by firing from
both sides, though exact numbers and who
fired what and when are impossible to
verify. It is clear that the LTTE is
refusing to let people flee, though many are
managing to escape somehow, and I fear the
combatants may be gearing up for a final
confrontation. This is a very grave
situation.”
Here is the text of Sir John Holmes piece in
the “Comment” section of the Guardian of
April 08, 2009.
As London witnesses Tamil protests, a
bloodbath on the beaches of northern Sri
Lanka seems an increasingly real
possibility. The Sri Lankan military has
pushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
into an area so small that any shooting or
shelling inevitably causes casualties among
the 150,000 to 190,000 civilians trapped in
the same zone. There have been many hundreds
of civilian deaths caused by firing from
both sides, though exact numbers and who
fired what and when are impossible to
verify. It is clear that the LTTE is
refusing to let people flee, though many are
managing to escape somehow, and I fear the
combatants may be gearing up for a final
confrontation. This is a very grave
situation.
As a full-scale, long-term ceasefire is
unlikely to be agreed now, the only way to
get the civilians out of harm's way is a
temporary humanitarian lull, during which
aid workers and relief supplies must be
allowed into the conflict zone, and those
who want to leave must be given the chance
to do so.
Both sides have a duty to bring this about.
The LTTE's leadership claims the civilians
in the conflict zone do not want to leave
because they accompanied the LTTE
voluntarily in the first place and are
afraid of government reprisals. Yet there
are continuing reports that the group's
fighters are shooting at fleeing civilians,
limiting fishing and sabotaging boats that
might be used to escape, and forcing people
to fight against their will. Civilians
trapped by the fighting must be allowed a
free choice of whether to leave or stay, as
we have made clear to the LTTE. If the LTTE
truly has the best interests of the Tamil
people at heart, they should contribute to
ending this unnecessary civilian suffering.
For its part, the government of Sri Lanka
must stick to its promise of not using heavy
weapons while the fighting lasts, and hold
off from any final attack in the conflict
zone while the pause is negotiated. With so
many people packed into such a small area,
further military action not only risks more
civilian deaths and injuries but also
threatens to undermine the government's
credibility with the international community
and the national groups with whom it must
soon seek reconciliation.
At this critical juncture independent aid
workers must be allowed to bring in more
aid, assess the situation and help civilians
to decide their own fate. Indeed, unless
better access for supplies and aid workers
is urgently secured, the ravages of disease,
untreated wounds and hunger will kill many
more people.
The government must also show flexibility by
recognising that many of the civilians in
the conflict zone have genuine fears about
possible mistreatment, whether the
government deems them well-founded or not.
It must also make clear that the safety of
all civilians will be guaranteed, and that
all those laying down their arms will be
treated in accordance with the rule of law.
A vital part of this is ensuring that
treatment of internally displaced people is
in line with international standards -
including the need for transparent screening
and registration processes, guaranteed
freedom of movement, and commitments to
ensure speedy return to their places of
origin. If the UN can play a role in
bringing this about and monitoring it with
other international groups, it is fully
ready to do so.
Beyond this we need an end to the conflict,
and rapid political progress to tackle the
underlying issues through the devolution of
power and long-term accommodation and
reconciliation. With thousands of lives in
the balance and the clock ticking, the time
for decisive action by the government, the
LTTE and the international community is now,
before it is too late.
|
|
|
|
Contact Information: Send
mail to